Fire Eater
by SAiKOU
Summary: Keichi was pulled out of Inkheart ten years ago when Silvertongue first read out of the book, but she does not remember her own story. When she encounters Dustfinger, Basta, and Capricorn, she finds that the fate of her world - and her story - is with her
1. Epilogue

**Author's Note:** Hello everyone. This is Saikou. I want to personally thank all of you for looking at my wonderful story-in-progress. It's a tale about love, sorrow, anger, hatred, heroism, cowards, and everything else in between. You will meet the shy Keichi, the skillful Dustfinger, the hateful Basta and the frightening Capricorn. There will be goblins, demons, dragons, fairies, and many more mythical creatures. Many fights will be held; a war will erupt between reality and fiction. And some find true love right in front of them. So you better hold onto your seats, ladies and gents - this is going to be a wild ride.

_SAiKOU!_

**Fire Eater**

_"And so the lion fell in love with the lamb.  
What a stupid lamb.  
What a sick, masochistic lion."_

He felt dead inside. He was wanted by no one, as far as he was concerned. He couldn't save Silvertongue, and it was the matchstick eater's fault alone, and he had betrayed him; Meggie despised him for it. Elinor – well, she never liked him, anyway, but she could at least show a little bit of sympathy. It was all getting too much, now – he felt as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. And, really, it was.

Dustfinger wandered aimlessly among the thin, narrow streets, lost in the small town. Maybe I'll be attacked and killed, he thought with a sad smile. Why Basta hadn't killed him along with Silvertongue, he didn't know. But he would rather be dead.  
He sat down at a nearby bench that was bolted into the sidewalk. It looked to be the only part of the street that was flooded with light in the midst of the rest of the darkness. He had _Inkheart_ in his hands. Somehow someone had managed to save the original copy before Capricorn burned them all. He stared hard at the silvery-green cover as if something would suddenly pop out. The cover was very worn by use and time – a little over a year had passed since Mo's death, after all. After a time, he finally opened the book. There was no title page, of course. He gently flipped through the pages as if they would crumble to dust with the mere touch of his fingertips. His dark eyes caught onto one page and he stopped, gazing at the page with curiosity and wonder. He had never seen this before, not when he was in the story – not something this beautiful. He stroked the three crescent-shaped scars on the side of face thoughtfully as he took in the details of the picture with wide eyes.

On the page was a beautiful young woman, looking to be right around his age. She was a full blast of color on the yellowing pages, with fair skin and beautiful dark brown hair. She wore a nearly flawless pale blue dress, not that she didn't look flawless herself. A pair of mysterious mismatched eyes – one blue, one green – stared at him with despair, putting her hands in front of her as if she were trying to push through the page but with no success. He wished that he could pluck her right out of the book as Silvertongue had with him, Capricorn, and Basta ten years ago. He wanted to hold her in his arms and tell her that everything would be alright, that there was no evil or danger in this horrible world that he couldn't try to protect her from, that he would even give up his life for her just to see a smile on that gorgeous face. He wanted to caress her soft-looking skin, to feel the silky likeness of it --

He realized that he was so into his daydream that he was merely stroking the silky leftover tissue of his scars.

Dustfinger drew in a deep breath and exhaled with a sigh, closing the book and putting it beside him. He ran his fingers through his dirty blond hair. It wasn't shoulder length as it used to be; with time comes change. His hair grew down to his upper back, and turned darker in color, nonetheless. He peered out into the night, wishing that it would devour him once and for all like an ugly, disembodied beast. He knew that the woman in the book was not Mortimer's wife; this woman was much, much prettier. He fought back the urge to look at the page again. He folded his hands upon his lap and closed his eyes, trying to think of something more realistic, but only the image of the woman kept appearing in his thoughts.  
Somehow, seeing her gave him a sense of peace, something that he hadn't felt in a very long time – something he hadn't felt since he was taken out of Inkheart.

He was in love.


	2. One: Findings

A young woman by the name of Keichi walked amidst the town, looking around for anyone to talk to or for something to interact with. She didn't want to go back to her empty home. There was never anyone there; the only thing that came around to her house once in a while was a little black terrier named Coal. Otherwise, things got _very_ lonely.

The wind was starting to pick up and she shivered, hugging herself tightly with a scowl. She wished that she hadn't worn that stupid water blue dress today; the weathercaster said that it was supposed to be a warm, humid night, but he was very wrong. She didn't even bring a jacket to cover her own shoulders with. She sighed quietly, her eyes locking on a lighted corner of the sidewalk – and saw a man, just about her age, sitting on the bench. She looked up with lighted eyes, different emotions flowing through her – surprise, relief, but most of all, happiness. She ran her fingers through her thick, dark brown hair. Her mismatched eyes sparkled with the transition of light to dark, but she squinted, trying to get accustomed to the sudden bright light above her. She cleared her throat nervously and gulped, sitting down next to him quietly at the sight of him asleep. It was better to have someone sitting next to you sleeping than someone awake and walking away. She brushed some dirt off of the linen of her dress. She jumped the sound of the man next to her clearing his own throat as if he were acknowledging that she was there. She bit her lower lip and looked away. He was very handsome, a surprise to see around this part of town. Dirty blond hair, a goatee, muscular figure, and – scars? She gazed up at him for a moment, seeing the scars on the side of his face. She scowled, wondering how he could have gotten them.

She noticed that he was clad in a black leather cloak, a black button-up shirt and black dress pants. She looked at him up and down for a moment, contemplating whether or not to wake him, when a small marten climbed onto his lap. Keichi noticed something very peculiar about this animal.

It was wearing horns behind its ears.

She tilted her head to the side slightly, reaching out to pat the animal's little head, when Dustfinger's voice almost made her jump out of her seat. "He bites," he murmured quietly, opening one dark, hazel eye slightly to look at her. She gulped and pulled her hand away, looking away from him and started to stare at the ground. It was quite a point of interest at the moment. "Th-Thanks for the warning…" she said softly, twiddling her thumbs nervously. He opened both eyes and tossed a piece of bread for Gwin (the horned marten) into his bag and he closed it so it wouldn't interrupt them. He looked over at the young woman, taking in each detail of her. His eyes widened with disbelief. It was the same woman that was in _Inkheart_. Those mysterious eyes, the beautiful hair, the gorgeous face – it had to be her. He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, an adorable expression of curiosity on her face. He put his fingertips to her cheek, afraid that if he made even the smallest, hardest touch, the porcelain doll would break.

Keichi's face flushed, turning a soft shade of pink at his touch. A playful grin spread across Dustfinger's lips. He hadn't smiled in quite a while. "What are you blushing for, miss?" he asked her quietly, gently dragging his fingers across her cheek. Goosebumps ran up his arms from the feeling of it. It was just as he had imagined when he first looked at her picture. She gulped, a shudder running down from her head to her toes merely from his warm touch. "U-Um…erm…" she stuttered, her breath becoming fast and erratic. Dustfinger tilted his head, wondering what the matter with her was. He put his hand to her forehead and scowled. "You're burning up…" he said quietly. Maybe she really was suffering from a fever?  
"Are you feeling alright?" he asked when she looked away from him. She nibbled on the tip of her thumb as she tried to calm her quickening breath. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine, r-really…" she murmured, standing up and brushing herself off. She was trying to do anything to keep herself distracted. Why did he have to be so handsome _and_ caring? At the thought, she grinned sadly, her pearl-like teeth gleaming.

"There aren't many men like you around here. Perhaps this is all just an act?" she asked clearly as she fiddled with the hem of her dress nervously. Dustfinger rose from his place and scowled. "What does _that_ mean?" he asked, an annoyed tone weighing down his voice. Keichi shrug and turned away from him, tears filling up her eyes. "It's just that a lot of men nowadays don't act as caring or as sweet as you are…and most of them only make it an act for reasons other than true love," she said, feeling warm tears run down her cheeks. He scowled, walking over to her and turning her around. To see her crying made his already broken heart torn even further. He wanted to go home even more now than ever, but he realized that he wanted to go home with her. But that would never happen.

"Sweetheart…" he murmured softly, taking her hands in his and looking her straight into her eyes. He wanted to melt into a puddle every time he looked at her. "I am being very true…how could I lie or pretend around someone like you?" he murmured softly, gently wiping away her tears. She sniffled, looking back up at him with a hint of hope in her eyes. She smiled a gentle smile, which made his head swim. "Thank you…" she said softly. But before she could do or say anything else, a horn blared as the headlights came right toward them. The person that was driving made the truck skid to a stop. Then, out of the clear blue, he started to make doughnut rings around the two. Keichi's eyes widened with fear and she held onto Dustfinger tightly, burying her face into his shirt. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and glared at the person inside the pickup truck. 'What the hell is the matter with him?!' he thought irritably. The driver finally stopped, unlocked the black pickup, and opened the car door. He was almost as tall as the truck itself. He slammed the door behind him and walked around, crossing his large, muscular arms in front of his wide chest.

"It's so good to see you again, Dustfinger," Basta said with an evil smirk.


	3. Two: Encounter

Dustfinger's eyes narrowed, putting Keichi behind him to keep her protected. He kept one hand around the 'lucky' pouch he had taken from Basta a year and a half ago. It had granted him nothing but bad luck, but it still seemed so fun to make the poor fool believe in the ghosts and goblins and dark creatures of the night. "What do you want, Basta?" he hissed, spitting out his name like it was acid on his tongue. Basta drew his knife and fingered it, dragging his fingertip across the blade and making an incision. He grinned, putting the knife back into his sheath and letting his finger bleed. "What else do you think I want, Dustfinger? Capricorn wanted you back. He found a use for you, actually." He noticed a small figure moving around behind him and he raised an eyebrow. "Oh, what's _this?"_ Basta walked around Dustfinger and took a look at the young, cowering woman. He tilted his head as he inspected her, and he came to a realization. "Well, look at that! She's from the book too! Capricorn can't wait to hear this," he said, looking at her lovingly. "Do you remember, my dear?" Basta reached out to take her hand but Dustfinger was so swift that he already had a lighted match in front of his face. "Back off, Basta, or I'll burn you to the ground…" he murmured menacingly. Basta quickly backed away, practically hissing at him. He drew his knife again and put it to Dustfinger's face. "How about I carve three new scars on your other cheek, fire eater?" he spat, his knuckles turning white from holding the hilt of the dagger so hard.

Keichi whimpered quietly, fearing for Dustfinger's life. She practically clung onto him and buried her face into his back, shutting her eyes tight as if it would make everything disappear. It must be a nightmare, she thought, not opening her eyes again for a long time. This can't be real, this all must be a dream, I know it, she kept thinking. When she finally opened her eyes, she saw that she was still clutching to a shuddering Dustfinger, the black pickup truck still sitting not four feet away from them, with Basta standing with his dagger in hand. "Please don't do this…" she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. Basta sent a death glare at Keichi, but after seeing her reaction to him, he sighed and putting the dagger back in his sheath. "Sorry, sweetheart, I didn't mean to scare you…" he murmured, shaking his head at himself and glaring at Dustfinger. "I'll give you a deal. You come with me and take the girl, and listen to everything that I say, or I take the girl with me and make sure that you never forget I was here. Make your decision," he said with a tone of finality with his last sentence.

Dustfinger looked sadly at Keichi, and she looked up at him with a mixture of concern, fright, and sorrow. She nodded her head, slowly but reluctantly letting go of him and standing next to him. Basta looked at her with such a look – the look of a lover – she couldn't help but let her face flush and her cheeks turn red. Obviously satisfied with the result, Basta looked at Dustfinger and waited for a reply with arms crossed. Dustfinger, not happy with his current situation, sighed and said, "Fine, I'll come with you. But if you even lay a finger upon her…" He decided not to finish that statement. Even he didn't know what he would do if Basta got too close to Keichi. He took her hand and led her to the vehicle. Keichi looked longingly at Dustfinger, wishing that she could be in his arms and far away from this danger.

Basta started the engine, making Keichi jump in her seat with the sudden noise in the silence. Basta make a sharp U-turn and headed right in the direction of Capricorn's church.


	4. Three: Understanding

**Author's Note:** Thanks to all of you who have stuck with reading my story through chapter two! I love to see the number of hits on my story grow more and more. Don't forget to add my story to your Story Alert list, and don't forget to review!  
SAiKOU!

It was so silent inside of the vehicle that Dustfinger swore that he was going insane. Keichi was at his side, holding onto his arm as if it could protect her from whatever danger came their way. He looked down at her, a sad smile spreading across his thin lips. She probably didn't remember coming from the book. Then again, who _would_ want to remember? Would it have been better if he forgot where he came from? He then started to ponder his existence. He did feel pain and he did get hurt, but what would happen if he were to get cut? Would there be blood? Or was he only made of ink and paper, not even flesh and blood? He took her hand in his and squeezed it tightly as he thought through these things. Keichi looked up at Dustfinger and frowned, seeing the strain on his face. "D-Dustfinger…" she whispered lowly. She didn't even hear herself speaking. She was thankful that she caught his name earlier. He looked over at her and smiled slightly, removing his hand from hers to draw her closer to him. "I'm sorry…" he murmured in her ear, making sure that Basta didn't hear their conversation. He was paying too close attention to the road in front of him to see what was going on in the back.

Keichi looked up at him curiously. It was that adorable expression again. "What are you sorry for?" she said, her voice now barely above a whisper. She could have sworn that the temperature inside of the truck lowered to at least sixty degrees. She shivered, biting the inside of her lip to keep her teeth from chattering. She was caught by surprise when Dustfinger took off his leather cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders. He was wearing a thin black t-shirt which was tight against his chest. His thin but muscular arms kept her close so she would warm up. Keichi frowned, obviously enjoying each moment, but worried for Dustfinger. "Aren't you cold?" He looked down at her so lovingly that her heart fluttered wildly in her chest. "I could care less about me…it's you that I'm worried about…" he murmured softly. He looked outside at the forest, seeing buildings past the trees. They had to be at least an hour and a half drive away from the church. "I want you to rest. We still have a while to go before we get to…" he trailed off. He didn't want to finish his sentence; he didn't want to scare her. Keichi disregarded it and nodded, closing her eyes and resting gently against him. She loved the feeling of his arms wrapped around her. She was in love, but she thought love at first sight was only in fairy tales.

She believed now.


	5. Four: Rememberance

Keichi had fallen into a gentle sleep. Not even the rocking of the vehicle on the rocky road woke her. As long as Dustfinger was there, she would sleep soundly. She even clutched to his shirt in her sleep, and a reassuring touch from him made her relax. An hour finally passed, and they were in Capricorn's small village. Nothing could seem to wake her, but when she felt warm lips upon hers, she woke with a start. Keichi bolted upright; she was surprised that she didn't nail anybody from sitting up so fast. Her eyes darted around her, and she saw Basta's smiling red face. He was blushing; what a surprise. She didn't know how else to react than to whimper, "Where is Dustfinger?" Basta ran his fingers through her hair. It felt so silk-like to him; it made him shudder. "My dear Keichi, that fire eater is alright…he is still out with that little rat of his…he'll be back soon," he said to her softly, leaning in closer to her. He still seemed to tower over her even though they were both sitting down. Her heart skipped a beat and she gulped, a cold sweat breaking out across her forehead. She didn't know what to do, and she was afraid to run away or else he would hurt her. But Keichi did remember something, a certain situation like this almost ten years ago. She and another young man were sitting in the middle of a field together, watching as the sun rose into the sky. He was just about to kiss her when everything turned black. Then she had ended up in the middle of a church.

_"How in God's name did you do this? Where am I, and who are you? What happened to Keichi?" Basta cried out, holding an unconscious Keichi in his arms. He looked up at the older Capricorn fearfully, confused and frightened. "What's going on?" he exclaimed, holding the girl tighter to him when he came closer. He was obviously four or five years older than them – they were both twelve, but he looked to be seventeen. He was so menacingly big. Capricorn grinned evilly, cracking his knuckles as if he was a big bully. "Welcome to my abode," he murmured, a bellowing, almost maniacal, laugh filling the prison-like room.  
Basta had changed. Many years passed in their world, and Basta became evil. He was the one who gave Dustfinger his scars; Keichi had seen it with her own eyes. They were fighting over her because they both loved her. She had tried to stop them from fighting but couldn't save Dustfinger from his pain. "See what the ladies think of you _now_," Basta hissed to Dustfinger, throwing the bloody dagger to the ground and storming off. The maids had to come in and clean things up and help aid Dustfinger's wounds while Keichi tried to gather her composure. At least Capricorn had gone out earlier, or things would have been worse. She staggered to the middle of the church where the pews used to be. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. If only she could have been stronger --  
__  
Two strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her close, smoothing her hair down and trying to comfort her from her own internal pain. Nothing scarred more than emotional pain, unless someone could soothe the heart. Keichi had become Capricorn's maidservant, but to everyone's surprise, she wanted to have this 'job.' That was why she was his favorite – no one ever_ chose_ to be his maidservant. "I'm sorry about what happened, sweetheart…" Capricorn murmured into her ear. His soft voice set a shiver down his spine. They all called him colorless, but to her, he could have been part of the visible light spectrum, for all she cared. She thought he didn't have a heart – or feelings, for that matter. But obviously, she was wrong. He comforted her like a father and loved her like any lover would. He turned her around in his arms and leaned in to kiss her…_

She was kicked fiercely into reality when Dustfinger was shaking her almost frantically. "Keichi, wake up!" She opened her eyes and groaned, her head pounding along with her heart. "B…Basta…?" she murmured, looking up at the fire eater with a frown. Dustfinger scowled and sighed with relief. "Thank goodness…don't scare me like that. What happened?" he asked, feeling her forehead. His scowl deepened when he felt that she was cold and clammy. Keichi sat up again, holding her head in her hands. She couldn't help but grin. "_I_ should be the one asking _you_ that question…" she murmured. Dustfinger grinned himself and shook his head at her. "Alright, I'll tell you: you fainted. And, another thing is…" He took one of her hands and put it to the very top of her head.

"You grew horns," he said.


	6. Five: Realization

Keichi blinked up at him, her hands feeling the horns. She gasped and her eyes widened with surprise. "Oh my god!" she yelled out, jumping to her feet. "I can't believe this, I have horns, and people are going to look at me like I'm crazy!" she cried out. Dustfinger, on the other hand, had moved away from her and laughing until tears ran down his cheeks. Sure, Basta was the enemy, but he played some damn funny tricks. This really got him into a light-hearted mood – a couple of laughs were just what he needed. Keichi glared at Dustfinger with her fists clenched. "What do you think is so funny!" she cried out, storming over to him. Dustfinger took her horns and pulled them off of her head. "I've never seen headbands like these before, but they sure do make for a good prank," he said with a grin. Keichi felt the blood rushing to her face from anger. "I faint in the middle of this deserted village, Basta was about to kiss me and now he's disappeared, and you play a prank on me?!" she exclaimed, her hands balling into fists. She punched Dustfinger in the chest, but he was unmoving. He grabbed her hands and pulled her closer to him, grinning playfully. "You look quite adorable when you're angry," he said.  
The blood was still rushing to her face, but not from anger. Her cheeks turned a soft crimson red and she gulped, looking up at him. Now all the guys seemed to be falling for her; that was just what she wanted! Well, it wasn't that she didn't mind the closeness between Dustfinger and her. Keichi took a sigh of relief and leaned against him, closing her eyes for a moment. She realized that she was still wearing his cloak. "Would you like it back?" she murmured, looking up at him with a small smile. Dustfinger looked back down at her and raised an eyebrow. "Would I like _what_--?" he cut himself off when he saw the cloak on her shoulders. He put a hand on her head. "Sweetheart, I don't need it. I play with fire, I think that it would keep me warm enough for now," he said with a light-hearted laugh. She couldn't help but smile. "Oh! Where did Basta go? His truck's still here, so he couldn't have gone far," she said thoughtfully. Dustfinger shrugged his shoulders and he leaned back against the pickup, looking out into the dark forest. "That man could be anywhere. He comes and goes," he murmured, looking back over at her for a moment. "I haven't seen him for at least a year but nothing about him has really changed," he said, running his fingers across his bristly goatee. Keichi tried to think back into her memories and tried to figure out why Basta looked so familiar to her.  
She remembered a man exactly her age (they both had the same birthdates) with shoulder-length dirty blond hair. He had hazel eyes that any woman could melt for, and a voice of a god. She could recall his cool minty breath on her lips, and how he would show her how to work with knives of every sort – pairing knives, slashing knives, and every knife in between. He was Capricorn's apprentice, and then she remembered the flashback she had before she fainted. Her eyes widened with amazement and she gasped with her hand flying up to her mouth. Dustfinger looked over at her and raised an eyebrow. "What's the matter?" he asked, concerned. Keichi's eyes welled up with tears. "I remember…it's been so long, but…I finally remember…" she whispered. She looked up at him and said softly, "Dustfinger…I'm from _Inkheart_…" She threw her arms around him in a tight embrace.


End file.
